“A morbid yet classy take on a morbid classic.” — David Fincher (Fight Club, Gone Girl) “Beautiful. Deliberate and creepy as hell.” — Scott Frank (Out Of Sight, Godless) Winner: Melies d’Argent, Abertoir Film Festival A city broker hires a rough builder to renovate his wine cellar, but the classes inevitably clash… My first shot at filmmaking, after years as a journalist, and mercifully enjoyable (at least to make). The film got great reviews, although it was The Playlist who sounded most like I’d paid them. “It’s not every day that a filmmaker like David Fincher shouts out a short film, but then again, it’s not every day that a director like Neville Pierce comes along.” You can watch the full film here. MORE INFO: Stars: Jason Flemyng, Blake Ritson Directed by Neville Pierce, written by Jamie Russell & Neville Pierce, produced by Savannah James-Bayly, edited by Jim Page – with an original score by David Julyan (Memento, The Prestige). Full credits: imdb.com/title/tt4415694/ “We’re all in this together”
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A widow’s attempts to find love are ruined when the ghost of her cheating dead husband gatecrashes her dates… My second short as director, Ghosted came together quickly around the availability of Alice Lowe, who proved to be a talent-magnet in terms of cast. Among a host of great reviews, it got this nice write up from Indiewire, who called it “darkly funny”. You can watch the full film here. MORE INFO: Stars: Alice Lowe, Christien Anholt, David Elliot, Jassa Ahluwalia, Helen Kennedy, Richard Glover, Ray Panthaki and Jason Flemyng Directed by Neville Pierce, written by Jamie Russell, produced by Savannah James-Bayly, edited by Jim Page Full credits: imdb.com/title/tt5036124/ “Truly, madly, deeply… annoying”
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When a menacing stranger traps a landlord and his pregnant daughter in their pub, a psychological game of cat and mouse begins… Critics called LOCK IN “masterful” and “thought-provoking and thrilling” but I think by far my biggest achievement was never once calling Tim McInnerny “Darling” during the shoot. You can watch the full film here. MORE INFO: Stars: Tim McInnerny, Nicholas Pinnock, Lucy Boynton Directed by Neville Pierce, written by Jamie Russell, produced by Lee Brazier and Matthew James Wilkinson, edited by Jim Page – with an original score by David Julyan (Memento, The Prestige). Full credits: imdb.com/title/tt5229236/ Made with the support of Creative England via the BFI NET.WORK “No one gets out until it’s time”
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“Superbly done!” – Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go, One Hour Photo) You can watch the full film here. A Syrian refugee can only stay in Britain if she becomes a surrogate mother for a desperate couple, but their illicit pact has dark consequences… I’ve been a judge for The Pitch competition since it started in 2008. The winner receives £30,000 to make a short film, but one year it was a runner-up which really stayed with me. The pitch for Threads – adapted from a story in Genesis by new writer Hannah Lee – felt really contemporary and relevant and when Hannah decided to go ahead and write it anyway, I offered to direct and produce. Working with Pitch-founder and experienced shorts producer Luke Walton, we secured the finance and a terrific cast, for what eventually became known as Promise. MORE INFO: Stars: Rebecca Callard, Nabil Elouahabi, Lara Sawalha Directed by Neville Pierce, written by Hannah Lee, produced by Luke Walton & Neville Pierce, edited by Jim Page Full credits: imdb.com/title/tt6596150 Song by smalltownjones.net “Some things you can’t conceive”
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